- • The document discusses the implications of the ongoing war with Iran and its impact on Western hegemony, asserting that U.S. military planners have long recognized the decline of American power in West Asia.
- • Iran’s survival in the conflict is deemed sufficient to undermine both the U.S. and Israel, as highlighted by U.S. intelligence assessments that were ignored before military actions commenced.
- • President Trump dismissed key military advisors who cautioned against attacking Iran, indicating a disregard for expert advice and the risks associated with the conflict.
- • U.S. leaders have historically overestimated military capabilities, with discussions dating back to 1988 emphasizing the limitations of American military power and the need for regional allies.
- • Two main pillars of U.S. hegemony—mobilizing proxy forces and projecting power—are described as collapsing, with diminishing credibility in U.S. power projection.
- • A 2011 strategy session among military leaders forecasted a diminishing window for U.S. hegemony, recommending a significant reduction in military presence and budget to refocus on domestic priorities.
- • The document criticizes Trump’s decision to engage militarily with Iran as a reckless gamble that ignored the strategic warnings from military experts.
- • The growing power of Iran is framed as a challenge to U.S. influence, with potential negative repercussions for Western financial systems due to a loss of control over regional resources.
- • The decline of U.S. hegemony is linked to an impending economic collapse, driven by excessive money printing as a temporary measure to maintain stability.
- • The rise of multipolarity, driven by nations like Russia and China, is presented as a direct challenge to Western dominance, with the conflict in Iran acting as
"Stated otherwise, U.S. hegemony over the Middle East depended on two key pillars:
The ability to mobilize proxy forces (i.e. Israel, al Qaeda, ISIS, al Nusra, etc.), and
The ability to project power and intimidate any “regional threats” into submission.
Both of these pillars are visibly collapsing today. Donald Trump’s and Pete Hegseth’s boasting about the greatest, most deadly force in history of the Milky Way galaxy can be understood exactly as what Schlesinger called maintaining “the overall aura of American power.” But between 1988 and today, the credibility of U.S. power projection has continued to deteriorate and Trump’s and Hegseth’s huffing and puffing no longer have the power to hypnotize US’s regional rivals into submission. That ship sailed long ago."
"Here is what I wrote about this situation in a December 2023 TrendCompass newsletter:
The ultimate result will be the hegemon’s expulsion from the resource (and collateral) rich region to a massive detriment of western financial institutions. The only magic wand left for them to use will be the printing press and inflation.
We have turned that corner now. When an empire’s military muscle atrophies, it loses political power over its vassals who’ll need to look elsewhere for protection. They will no longer borrow from your financial institutions and might not award lucrative government contracts to your corporations."
https://substack.com/home/post/p-190666771
Shared via https://contex.st
deeznuts
npub13t…yllwf
2026-03-19 13:27:19 UTC
Author Public Key
npub13tkusutqsx0yjr9szc4vhkxf5fkhne3aka84kxm9jwgp9yj20uzsnyllwfPublished at
2026-03-19 13:27:19 UTCEvent JSON
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"tags": [],
"content": "- • The document discusses the implications of the ongoing war with Iran and its impact on Western hegemony, asserting that U.S. military planners have long recognized the decline of American power in West Asia. \n- • Iran’s survival in the conflict is deemed sufficient to undermine both the U.S. and Israel, as highlighted by U.S. intelligence assessments that were ignored before military actions commenced. \n- • President Trump dismissed key military advisors who cautioned against attacking Iran, indicating a disregard for expert advice and the risks associated with the conflict.\n- • U.S. leaders have historically overestimated military capabilities, with discussions dating back to 1988 emphasizing the limitations of American military power and the need for regional allies.\n- • Two main pillars of U.S. hegemony—mobilizing proxy forces and projecting power—are described as collapsing, with diminishing credibility in U.S. power projection.\n- • A 2011 strategy session among military leaders forecasted a diminishing window for U.S. hegemony, recommending a significant reduction in military presence and budget to refocus on domestic priorities.\n- • The document criticizes Trump’s decision to engage militarily with Iran as a reckless gamble that ignored the strategic warnings from military experts.\n- • The growing power of Iran is framed as a challenge to U.S. influence, with potential negative repercussions for Western financial systems due to a loss of control over regional resources.\n- • The decline of U.S. hegemony is linked to an impending economic collapse, driven by excessive money printing as a temporary measure to maintain stability.\n- • The rise of multipolarity, driven by nations like Russia and China, is presented as a direct challenge to Western dominance, with the conflict in Iran acting as\n\n\n\"Stated otherwise, U.S. hegemony over the Middle East depended on two key pillars:\n\nThe ability to mobilize proxy forces (i.e. Israel, al Qaeda, ISIS, al Nusra, etc.), and\n\nThe ability to project power and intimidate any “regional threats” into submission.\n\nBoth of these pillars are visibly collapsing today. Donald Trump’s and Pete Hegseth’s boasting about the greatest, most deadly force in history of the Milky Way galaxy can be understood exactly as what Schlesinger called maintaining “the overall aura of American power.” But between 1988 and today, the credibility of U.S. power projection has continued to deteriorate and Trump’s and Hegseth’s huffing and puffing no longer have the power to hypnotize US’s regional rivals into submission. That ship sailed long ago.\"\n\n\"Here is what I wrote about this situation in a December 2023 TrendCompass newsletter:\n\nThe ultimate result will be the hegemon’s expulsion from the resource (and collateral) rich region to a massive detriment of western financial institutions. The only magic wand left for them to use will be the printing press and inflation.\n\nWe have turned that corner now. When an empire’s military muscle atrophies, it loses political power over its vassals who’ll need to look elsewhere for protection. They will no longer borrow from your financial institutions and might not award lucrative government contracts to your corporations.\"\n\nhttps://substack.com/home/post/p-190666771\n\n\n\n\nShared via https://contex.st",
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}